provided to The Santiva Chronicle
“The determination of this community to rebuild, protect, and preserve your own, as well as your paradise, was and is beyond inspiring to us all. [After our first visit,] we departed the island feeling that Sanibel the game really had the opportunity to be more than a game,” said Tori Helm, who spoke at the Dec. 10 meeting of the SanCap Chamber of Commerce as part of a panel introducing a new board game based on Sanibel shelling.
Bank of the Islands and the City of Sanibel sponsored the meeting held at Sundial Beach Resort on Sanibel Island. Sanibel artist and entrepreneur Rachel Pierce emceed a special panel consisting of esteemed game designer Elizabeth Hargrave and the team from Hasbro’s Avalon Hill division, which worked with her to create the board game. Helm ended her accolades by presenting a check for $10,000 to SCCF (Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation) for its support keeping the island natural and protected.
“I think we all expected a rousing sales pitch from the Sanibel game team,” said John Lai, president and chief executive officer of the SanCap Chamber. “What we didn’t anticipate was such a sincere, touching, and very concrete tribute to our community.”
Hargrave, whom Helm called “board game royalty” for her past award-winning creations, told attending business people that it was her dad’s idea for her to design a shelling board game after numerous family visits to Sanibel Island. “It is such a universally beloved activity, right? So, I started working on it.”
The team spent hours and hours making the game realistic and accurate, said Avalon Hill narrative designer Tess Hogan. “We all became shellers.”
For creative designer Samy Ventura, the authenticity and beauty of the artwork mattered most. “I wanted the art to be a love letter,” she said, adding that the details of the shells to the portrayal of the lighthouse give the game the authenticity Sanibel deserves.
Brand and product manager Michael Scurti, a self-declared “game nerd,” told attendees that editions in German, French, and Spanish are in the works, and it’s been well-received all over the world by the gaming community. It will start rolling out in January, first in mom-pop stores. Island businesses that wish to carry the game can apply for distribution at tinyurl.com/sanibelgame. It will retail for $40 and is recommended for two to four players ages 10 and older.
The team emphasized the game’s accessibility – easy to learn but challenging and strategic. The board simulates a beach where shells wash up and players collect them puzzle-like in their shell bag. “You’re literally just walking down the beach,” said Helm.
“We didn’t want to launch a game called ‘Sanibel’ without it really, truly reflecting this community — sounding like this community, looking life this community, feeling like this community,” said Helm, who, after gifting SCCF with a donation check, handed out take-home Sanibel games to all attending.
SanCap Chamber will start out 2026 with its State of the Island breakfast meeting Jan. 15, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in Fort Myers. Sponsorships are available at six monetary levels. Contact Aaron Walton at aaron@sanibel-captiva.org or 239-472-8759 for more information.